The International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day) is an international observance held on 18 April each year around the world with different types of activities, including visits to monuments and heritage sites, conferences, round tables and newspaper articles. Each year has a theme, for example sustainable tourism in 2017.

World Heritage Day 2018 Theme is "Heritage for Generations". We all know that Ancient buildings and monuments are an asset for us and for the world. Therefore, Heritage Day is a collective effort of the communities in the world to do the needful. This day maintain the cultural legacy and make people to think about its susceptibility.

History:

The International Day for Monuments and Sites was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18 April 1982 and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983. The aim is to promote awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage of humanity, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and conservation.

World Heritage Site:

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity.

To be selected, a World Heritage Site must be an already classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, mountain, or wilderness area). It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.

The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence. Sites are demarcated by UNESCO as protected zones. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 states parties which are elected by their General Assembly.

The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common culture and heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The program began with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 193 state parties have ratified the convention, making it one of the most widely recognized international agreements and the world's most popular cultural program.

Why Heritage sites should be preserved?

Architectural beauty is good for your brain. A relatively new area of neuroscience known as neuroaesthetics posits the theory that beauty in art and design makes us happy. The synaptic payoff is real: scientists can track brain activity when people respond to design and beauty. Don't you feel better already?

Historic buildings are physical links to our past. Yes, we've all heard that before. It's not just about saving bricks, but about saving the layers and layers of information about our lives and those of our ancestors. Without that, we'd erase the stories of our past, as if the people who came before us never existed.

Historically significant buildings contribute to our city's cultural and economic well-being - not to mention the vibrancy of street life. When re-purposed for modern-day use, like the Wychwood Barns redevelopment or 401 Richmond, older buildings are great incubators for entrepreneurship, innovation and experimentation. The opposite holds true when older buildings are demolished to make room for high-rise development. Only chain stores like Shoppers Drug Mart can afford the street-level rents.

Heritage designations boost property values. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that the designation ties the hands of owners interested in redevelopment, a historical specification sets property apart.

Heritage preservation is more labor-intensive, which means more jobs. It's also good for the environment. Fewer building materials are required to refurbish old buildings, which reduces waste headed to landfill and the demand for aggregates gouging holes in the countryside up north to supply the materials for new bricks and mortar.

More on:

https://goo.gl/br5TrW

https://goo.gl/zLE9e9

https://goo.gl/Sy8a5H